Sick Dragons and Mushroom Soup
by atomatrix
Summary: Of all the ludicrous things that could have happened, it had to be Natsu catching a fever. "Mnrgh… Luuuce… Why do you look like cheese?" Mentioned girl sighed in exasperation and scratched her head. This was going to be a long day.


**A/N:** Hi, guys! This Nalu one-shot is more of a story prototype; I'm posting it to gauge the interest of the audience. In other words, I do have more written down for this story, but I won't post any more of it unless _you guys show interest in reading more_. Therefore, please review and offer as much constructive criticism as you want! If I do continue off this one-shot, the actual plot line will take place one year after the Grand Magic Games and will be a few shades darker than the aimless fluff I have here.

I haven't written anything in ages, so I'm a bit nervous about uploading this. Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

Lucy glided across the glassy surface of the rink without a thought, hands shoved into the warm depths of her pockets. She drifted around several guild members before executing a graceful waltz jump, aware that a certain someone was sulking back at her house.

Natsu was down with the flu.

She snorted to herself. Of all the _ludicrous_ things that could have happened, it had to be Natsu catching a fever.

Worst of all, it didn't even make any _sense_. He's a fire mage – a freaking _dragon slayer _for Mavis's sake. Catching a fever, much less the flu should have been a physical impossibility.

Then again, she supposed that any _normal _human being would have died under the circumstance Natsu had literally buried himself under. A ferocious blizzard had swept through Magnolia last night, entombing the entire town under a thick, five feet layer of snow. The storm did not spare Natsu's shack of a house near the outskirts of town. The rickety structure, already falling apart at its seams, collapsed under the heavy weight of the snow, consequently trapping a sleeping Natsu beneath for the entire night until he awoke the next morning. How on Earthland he managed to sleep through all of that, Lucy would never know.

Her skates skidded to a stop at the side of the rink. She was going back.

Ω

Life sucked.

Those two words resounded in Natsu's head as he attempted to bury himself even further into Lucy's plush comforter. He was shivering and sweating severely, cheeks flushed red thanks to the plaguing illness. Every muscle in his body ached, his head throbbed, and his throat burned as if it had been scratched by one of Happy's claws.

_Geesh_, he thought miserably as he tossed and turned, recalling that one time Lucy was sick. _How did she put up with this?_

A familiar light voice cut through his thoughts.

"Oiii, Natsu. What are you doing?"

He peeked out from under a pillow, bemused. Wasn't she supposed to be out skating with the rest of the guild?

He decided not to push the query further, and buried his face into the cushions again.

"Contemplating the mysteries of the dragon immune system."

He sounded nasal, Lucy noted with a raised eyebrow. Also, _contemplating_ and _immune system_? Oh, boy. She wished Wendy wasn't out of town on a mission with Charle and Romeo. The sky dragon slayer would have been able to fix up Natsu in a jiffy.

Striding over to the bed, Lucy leaned over the mop of salmon pink hair, tugging gently at the feathery strands so that the male was facing her. Natsu fixed his gaze on her sleepily.

"Mnrgh… Luuuce… Why do you look like cheese?"

Mentioned girl sighed in exasperation and scratched her head.

This was going to be a long day.

Ω

"…"

"Open your mouth, Natsu."

"…"

"I said open it, already!" Lucy was starting to feel impatient. She was holding a spoonful of brewed Amanita mushroom medicine – supposedly the only kind of cure for dragon illnesses according to Porlyusica.

Downside was, it smelled putrid (Lucy fought the bile down her throat) and probably tasted much, much worse.

Hey, the thick liquid was _puce brown_.

Natsu shuddered. No. No-no-no-no-no. He was not going to swallow it; he was not going to come anywhere_ near it_ –

"_Natsu_."

He hastily pinched his nose and closed his lips over the nausea-inducing poison, swallowing the solution in one gulp. Bad decision. He choked on the bitter, acrid taste that burned his throat and tongue.

"Wa-water…" He gasped out to the amused blonde. Lucy handed him the glass from the bedside table and watch him gulp down its contents.

Natsu sighed loudly in relief, dropping the glass onto the carpeted floor. He threw himself over her pillows once more. That was something he never wished to try – ever again.

"You'll have to take it two more times, you know," Lucy piped up suddenly.

Natsu's eyes bulged.

There was only one word going through his head at that moment.

_Shit._

Ω

To his disbelief, he made it through the entire ordeal without spitting out any medicine, and had his fever completely cured by the end of the day.

"I knew you could do it," Lucy gave him a rare, gentle smile that had him scratching the back of his neck awkwardly and turning his head away from her in embarrassment.

He had it bad.

"You have it baaad," Happy quipped cheerfully with a roll of his tongue after she'd left to retrieve some additional supplies from Porlyusica. Natsu grumbled at his sudden appearance.

"Ah, shaddup."

A tense silence.

"How can you say that, when it's so obvious that you're smitten?"

That was Gray, leaning on the doorframe with a smug look on his face. The ice prick had dropped by for a visit.

Natsu made a mental note to sic Juvia on him later.

_I know I'm smitten, damn it. Don't need you guys to tell me that._

* * *

**A/N: **The Amanita mushroom is a legit mushroom. It's the chubby red one with white polka dots you see in Mario Kart or various childrens' books. It's actually quite toxic and will cause the one who ingests it to have a hallucinogenic experience. But, since Natsu is partial dragon, I figured he could handle it ;D

Thanks for reading! Again, if you'd like to read more, please leave a review. If there's a generally positive response, I will most likely delete this one-shot and link everyone to the actual story.


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